More than just a beat.

This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by jackinbeat: 05.03.2012 15:40.

March 2012

Hi, I promised something so here we go. First attempt at any kind of personel blog, so bear with me, not really sure of the direction this is going. I’m seriously hoping this will help me focus my thoughts. Poker as you will read has been a huge part of my life for the last 6 or 7 years, and I’ve seen some ups and a few downs.

[Edited by Matt]

Thanks for reading.

Matt

About me

I’m from the UK, where I’ve spent the last 6 years running all level’s of poker games both cash and tournaments. The big cash game at the Barracuda Casino in Mayfair, MTT live events for Pokerstars, Ladbrokes, Betfair, Bodog, Victory, Boyle Poker, Bettson, Full Tilt and many more.

I currently run music events at nightclubs here during the summer, which leaves me a huge amount of spare time, which I’ve decided to give over to poker again.

My Poker Background

I’ve been playing poker for the last 7 years, well always played card games with friends and family, but 8 years ago was when I first got online, and played in casino’s. At the time it was just for fun, but about a year after I started playing had an accident, well I vehicle I was in crashed, I ended up with an almost totally numb left arm, and was unable to do my day job whilst it recovered, nerve damage, I recovered after a few years, and a little operation.

This left me with one good arm, and what else is there to do, online poker fitted perfectly. I won enough to make it look like a possibility, the first 3 months, I won over $5k, mainly through a in hindsight very luck rebuy, but I thought I was good enough (sigh). Anyway, my brother got married in Aus, my arm was getting better, so a round the world trip, spending a most of my winnings, and a month later I got home and had a decent bankroll, or so I though. I promptly lost over £4k in cash games online, and a few trips to a local card room, all in the space of 3 weeks, super tilt!

So seeing busto on the horizon what to do, well like lots of nearly busto poker players, I got asked to deal a game, total joke at first, I even put the flop out the wrong way (cheers Kaito for putting me straight there). Well, I was a quick learner, started dealing just for tips, in the old Gutshot, and that was that. Fast forward 6 years and I’ve dealt some of the biggest games in the world, travelled Europe, spent some great summers in Ireland, and basically loved the tournament dealer circuit, but all that travelling was a little crazy, and the degenerate behaviour amongst poker dealers some of the worst I’ve seen (and been involved in). One story that comes to mind was a friendly 10p/10p PLO session, where 5 handed we had a £900 pot, seeing as we started buying in for £10 each that was pretty sick.

So 5 years of that, and London card rooms, where I had some amazing times, and made some great friends, it couldn’t go on, and I was itching to get back into my previous work. That bought me to Barcelona last year, where I only played poker with friends for fun. A year later and I get online, play a little and take home a $7k score in late Jan. This combined with a fair bit of spare time put me back in a place where poker could fit nicely.

Where I’m at Now!

So basically I’m giving it another shot, I’ve done this before, made decent money but always gone busto trying to climb the stakes too quickly.

I’ve had $3k losing days, with a $4k bankroll, and done other similar bankroll destruction exercises live. So this time, it’s different, well I hope so.
I’m going to grind up the stakes from $.05/.10 PLO (lower if BR requires it), and play $1r-$5 NLH tournaments as that’s where I had the best results and studied the most, moving up the stakes with sensible BRM, take the odd small shot, and look to qualify for some larger live events.

I will play about 15-20 days a month, 4-8 hours a day, try not to repeat any of my previous leaks, and spend another 2 hours a day studying.
I’ve read the 2+2 forums for a long time, and have now discovered Poker Strategy, which I have and will continue to learn from.

I don’t have any specific goals at the moment, apart from winning, and developing my game online, along with some live events. I’m sure I’ll set some as I go on, and will set mini goals to drive myself along.
The first one of these is to play 1k hands PLO per day, for 20 days in March.

Here’s a graph to start with:
This is PLO cash on 24h poker, just got Hold Em manager so still working it out. Have some old details from cake, and Stars, but I’ll keep the graphs to what I’m playing, which to start with is PLO on 24h poker, and Mtt’s on Poker Stars.

Will post graphs when I learn how too, but I'll tell you I've not had the best start on paper, still I’m happy, had some decent runs on MTT’s and cash is only just getting started. Thanks for reading so far, I will try and update this at least every Month, maybe less. All comments and criticism however useless is always appreciated.

Welcome to our blogs section!
Nobody born to be a blog pro, so don't worry about it too much.

To post your HEM graph
1. right click on it and save the image somewhere in your computer
2. upload to a free image hosting service (like imgur.com, imageshack.com, etc.)
3. in that image hosting service, copy the link which says for posting in forums
4. paste in our message box
5. voila!

or post image:

1. save the image file (your graph) into your hard drive
2. upload it on the internet (plenty of free hosting sites out there like imgur.com, imageshack.com, etc etc). get the link for posting in forums
3. when you're making your post, click on the little icon that says "Insert Image" (it looks like a photograph of a little mountain). it will prompt you to insert the http link which you shld paste there.

Originally posted by IngridN
Welcome to our blogs section!
Nobody born to be a blog pro, so don't worry about it too much.

To post your HEM graph
1. right click on it and save the image somewhere in your computer
2. upload to a free image hosting service (like imgur.com, imageshack.com, etc.)
3. in that image hosting service, copy the link which says for posting in forums
4. paste in our message box
5. voila!

or post image:

1. save the image file (your graph) into your hard drive
2. upload it on the internet (plenty of free hosting sites out there like imgur.com, imageshack.com, etc etc). get the link for posting in forums
3. when you're making your post, click on the little icon that says "Insert Image" (it looks like a photograph of a little mountain). it will prompt you to insert the http link which you shld paste there.

This Blog idea is great, thanks poker strategy for suggesting it, here's a mid month update, and some random rambling rants that have been on my mind a while.

Right then, it’s within a month of my last blog, and I’ve got some more ramblings, plus some great news on a personal level.

First up, some poker views, I’m still feeling the pain from the FTP nightmare, along with many others, and am I the only one that feels a certain amount of bitterness seeing ex FTP pro’s carrying on like nothing has happened, sure they lost they’re deals, but hey, that dream ticket came out of our pockets, and as far as I know only Tom Dwan has made any kind of offer to the players who lost money.
Now I’m not asking them to pay back winnings, or even rakeback, but surely anyone holding on to payments from FTP and not offering as Tom did to help if FTP don’t sort out a buyer and pay us back should be asked why do you think you deserve that money more than the everyday players who in some cases idolise you, and will probably miss it more?
I honestly believe if I was in their shoes I’d publically state what FTP had paid me and offer to help pay players back out of that should the worst case scenario happen and we all end up out of pocket. Seeing them jump into bed with new sites, and still living it large just makes me sick. Just sayin#

Ok, rant over, back to the grind.

Not been playing as much as I’d like this month, a downswing, along with some extra work has made me make the sensible (in my eyes) decision to only play a few small sessions. Good news just around the corner though, I’ve got a staking deal (through 2plus2) and a coach, just sorting the details now, but already got a yes from the coach, and am looking forward to committing to 30+ hours grinding low stakes MTT’s with weekly review sessions. More on that when it’s finalised and I’ve checked they are ok with me blogging the details.

Summers here in Barcelona, it’s a year since I got here, and after leaving freezing (-14c) temperatures in London to come here last Feb, it’s not feeling as warm as it did at this time last year, but it’s getting there. Surprising how quickly you become accustomed to a new climate, I was laughing at people wearing scarves this time last year, now it’s me wearing the jackets and laughing at the crazy tourists wearing shorts.
It’s the EPT in Madrid, if only I hadn’t dropped over $3k on the PLO tables after winning $6.7k in an MTT last month I’d have treated myself to a side event, sigh. Lesson learnt there I hope.

Quick mention to the team I’ve supported since a kid (Manchester United FC), who are still being robbed by the Glaziers, but still showing the true passion of a great team and have now taken the lead back off out lottery winning neighbours the bitters (or Manchester City FC). MUFC, a team who never give up, and are now back on top of the premier league and the fair play league. LOVE MUFC HATE GLAZIERS. Football is a funny old game, and yes anyone in America or Australia, please it’s called football, the reason, well you kick a ball with your foot. It’s not soccer, and if you use your hands and catch something that isn’t a ball please don’t call it football.

Ok back to poker, I’ve got a staking contract on the way, weeeeeeeeee, so will be back hitting the tables hard soon.

Was going to wait to post this, but have just decided to post as soon as I've written it, why, well i think it'll give a more honest view, and I might be open to change my mind on some comments I make, but I'd prefer to have an honest blog, than a carefully edited version. I am outspoken, and like to think I say it how I see it.

To be honest when I go back to Manchester now I go and see FC United Of Manchester, when the glaziers give us our club back, then I'll be a MUFC fan fully again, until then it's a case of Love United Hate Glaziers.

Do you know what they've done to our club since they bought it, so sad to see a team like this used to finance someone's business, dark days, but the true fans keep up the fight and one day we'll get our club back.

Yes I do know what they've done, however one thing you have to say in their defence is that they've at least stayed in the background throughout all of this and left the majority of the football matters be decided my Sir Alex, and despite piling debt upon debt onto the club they've tried to make some sort of transfer funds available. Still, they can gtfo as far as i'm concerned